The internet of things, services and people – Industry 4.0 and collaborative robots

Abstract

Industry 4.0 envisages the introduction of internet technologies into production, with promising potentials and complex interactions. The consequences are hard to foresee. One of the key questions is: whether the methods and concepts to manage complexity will grow faster than the complexity in industry. A major concern is the role of workers in a future production environment. Taking the example of the robot YuMi, which is especially characterized by its ability to collaborate with people, we discuss the potential of Industry 4.0 and consequences of the intelligent combination of devices, software and people.